Republican is also running for re-election in Kentucky

Rand Paul

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Dec. 1, 2015) — Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) today signed the paperwork to run for re-election in 2016 and to enter the Kentucky Republican presidential caucus, according to a story from The Courier-Journal posted on Paul’s website.

Paul is the fifth Republican to file for the GOP caucus in Kentucky, along with Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Sen. Ted Cruz, businessman Donald Trump and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, reports the Courier-Journal.

“We are still the party of equal opportunity, we are still the party of emancipation, but now we also want to be the party of opportunity,” Paul told the crowd gathered in a building that houses the Jefferson County Republican Party’s West End office. “It is my goal in running for the presidency and in running for re-election, to talk about … how our ideas on how we overcome poverty are different from the other party’s.”

U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Vanceburg) said that Paul supporters should not be discouraged by his low numbers in polls, noting that gubernatorial polls showed Gov.-elect Matt Bevin trailing Attorney General Jack Conway.

“I have been to Iowa, I have campaigned for Sen. Paul as a surrogate for his presidential race and his ground team there is amazing,” Massie said. “The difference between polls and reality is voter enthusiasm and turnout and the people that support Sen. Paul, they will crawl through glass to go vote.”

Paul said during a press conference that his decision to file for both offices doesn’t indicate a lack of confidence in his presidential campaign but is a realization that there are numerous candidates and that winning is not guaranteed.

To allow Paul to seek both nominations, the Kentucky Republican Party agreed to break with tradition and hold a presidential caucus, rather than a primary, that would allow him to run for both nominations in the state.